ADVO C A C Y
Advocacy Efforts Provide Uplifting Feeling of Control by Natalie Steadman
In March 2010, volunteers and National MS Society staff members traveled from Texas to Washington, D.C. to take part in the Society’s Annual Public Policy Conference. Natalie Steadman, a member of the Society’s Texas Government Relations Committee, shares her experience.
M
y journey to Washington, D. C. began more than a year ago. I was sitting in my office, reading through one of the National MS Society’s publications, and noticed an ad for the 2009 Public Policy Conference in Austin. There was something about that ad, as if it was a calling that said, “This is it; this is where you need to get involved.” Other than forwarding the occasional e-mail alert to legislators, I’ve never been an activist, but, the more I thought about 10
MSConnection • Summer 2010
it, I felt my professional experiences and background might give me the tools necessary to become one. I was diagnosed with MS five years ago and a firm believer in the statement, “If we don’t help ourselves, why should we expect others to?” I made reservations to fly to Austin and, from there, the National MS Society made it easy by providing an ideological format that educated us on how the system works.